The Redwall Series! Unit Study

A young, strongly built mouse is being held captive as a slave of the ruthless stoat, Badrang. This slave, named Martin, is being used to help build part of a stronghold called Marshank for the horde leader. He is often whipped or flogged for misbehaving during his long, cruel working hours. Even so, on witnessing similar mistreatment of an elderly squirrel is more than enough for him to bear. Martin ferociously attacks the captain of the guard, who goes by the name Hisk, and attempts to strangle him to death with his own whip. Unfortunately, Gurrad, a soldier of Badrang, is close, and quickly blows an alarm on his bone whistle. The nearest six guards come to Hisk's rescue, beating the young mouse with their spear handles. As soon as word of this outrage on one of his guards comes to Badrang, he has the rebellious mouse brought before him.

After interrogating the slave, Badrang commands that he is to be tied up between two poles on the highest point of Marshank, to be eaten by the birds during the night, and to serve as a warning during the day. And so Martin was bound to two poles upon the rooftop, expected to be long dead by the dawn.

The mouse becomes feverish, and cries aloud how Badrang captured him when he was hardly more than a child. He screams at the top of his lungs how Badrang killed his grandmother, and he tells of how he had taken the sword which his father had given him.

Far below, a youthful female mouse named Rose, and a slightly older mole called Grumm heard Martin's outburst. They called up to him, and asked of the other slaves there. Rose asked if there was another mouse by the name of Brome in Marshank. Brome was her younger brother, who had been wandering aimlessly, and was captured by Badrang. Little did they know young Brome was held in a prison pit far below Marshank.....

From this point, Martin's heroic epic tale begins.

Photo Credit: Mossflower (Redwall, Book 2)
Available on Amazon

Mossflower is a piece of the story of Martin the Warrior. In this book, Martin is a lone, wandering warrior, with no belongings, save a rusty sword strapped to his back. When he enters Mossflower Country, he is quickly captured by Verdauga, King of the Thousand Eyes, a wildcat who rules over Kotir, his fortress, and all it's surrounding land.

Verdauga is deeply sick and is near dying, so he is making the decision of whom he will entrust his kingdom to: his sensible son, Gingivere, or his ruthless daughter, Tsarmina. Martin is taken to the King, as sick as he is, to be interrogated as to why he was trespassing on their land. Gingivere demands that Martin be given his chance to speak, and be given a fair trial. Then Martin explains that he was not aware that it was Verdauga's land he was walking on, and so asks to be released. Gingivere is about to do this, but Tsarmina snaps his rusty blade in half, and has him locked in the dungeons.

Photo Credit: A map of Mossflower
on Greystripe's Dwelling

Fortunata, Verdauga's healer, has been influenced by Tsarmina, bribed to poison him so that she, herself, can take control of Kotir. After all, the old fool has been too kind to the worthless wretches that live in Mossflower Country.

Gonff, a young and well-rounded mousethief, has just looted Kotir of many of it's foods. Gonff leaves Kotir unnoticed, to enjoy his meal in peace in the grasslands. After eating, Gonff lies down to relax in an open plain, and finds himself day-dreaming. He gazes up at the sky happily, but soon realizes that he is not alone. Before he can get up, he finds himself looking up into the eyes of two weasel soldiers on routine patrol. Gonff is taken to Kotir to be held prisoner in the dark, damp dungeons. He finds himself sharing a cell with a strange mouse, of about the same age as himself. And so Martin and Gonff meet.

The two cell-mates quickly come to friendly terms with one another and begin planning their escape from Kotir. The plan is completed successfully, and the two soon find themselves just outside the Kotir boundaries. The anger burning in Martin's heart is not easily forgotten. Tsarmina had beaten Martin mercilessly when she and her brother were fighting over how Martin should have been dealt with. And so, Martin decides to raise an army to end the cruelty of Tsarmina...

Only a few seasons have passed since the events of Mossflower. Plans drawn up during those terrible times are now being acted upon. Plans for a wonderful safe place where all can live in harmony. The woodlanders are busy building a new home. Everyone is helping. Their haven will be an Abbey, an Abbey known as Redwall.

Creatures from far and wide have been drawn to this community. Among them is a traveler from the north. She is Trimp the Rover, a young hedgehog maid. As the workers sing songs, using the rhythm to bring together their efforts of pulling and lifting, Trimp joins them. She shares a half-remembered ballad recounting the adventures of a brave warrior mouse. His name? Luke.



Martin, a warrior mouse now in his middle seasons, is stunned to hear this song of his long lost father. He wishes to know more. But the traveler can tell him nothing more. So Martin and his friends Gonff and Dinny set off with Trimp to return to the Northland shore, and seek the truth of the father he barely knew.

"A floodtide of memories poured in on Martin's senses. Every rock, even the wind-driven sand drifts, looked familiar to him. Turning to his tired companions, the Warrior spoke in a hoarse whisper. "I was born here; I know this place."

Martin encounters friends and enemies, old and new. There is Folgrim, the mad otter, and his brother the Chieftain, Tungro. There are GUOSIM shrews aplenty, and little Chugger. There are battles with Flitchayes and the dreaded Painted Ones.

At long last, the adventurers discover a clue, an extraordinary shipwreck. It is a ship known as Arfship, and it is home to three ancient, veteran warriors. In their possession is a dusty old volume. It is the ship's log of the good ship Sayna. In it is chronicled the dramatic account of Luke's pursuit of his hated enemy, the pirate stoat, Vilu Daskar, to avenge the murder of his beloved wife.

Luke and his companions sail the Sayna, a tiny frail vessel, in an epic voyage in pursuit of the slavers who plow through the oceans in their monstrous ship, the Goreleech. This ship and its pirate captain drive fear to the ends of the earth, as they plunder far flung tropic isles. The ship, its decks often awash in blood, becomes known simply as The Redship.

In this tale the stories of father and son are interwoven. Many of the mysteries of the Abbey's early years unfold. Every true Redwaller will want to sign on for this adventure!

Redwall is an epic tale that begins at Redwall Abbey where Matthias, a young male mouse, is preparing for a great feast. With the help of his friend, Brother Alf (his full name is Mordalfus), he catches a fully-grown grayling. The grayling is then prepared to be the main course of the feast, for many from far and wide, including the Churchmouse family, from Saint Ninians Church.

Unfortunately, evil is coming their way.....

"Cluny the Scourge" a giant rat, many times larger than any other, with only a left eye -- his right eye lost in a battle long past -- carries a pole topped with a ferret's skull, and uses his immense tail as a whip, with a poisoned barb fitted to its tip. This great warlord leads an army of four hundred rats, ferrets, weasels, and stoats, which is rapidly approaching Redwall Abbey un-noticed.

Cluny the Scourge was thought to be only an old wive's tale, until young Matthias saw him. As a group of Redwallers were escorting their guests home, a large wagon pulled by a terrorized black horse, burst out of nowhere, noisily passing the Redwallers. The escort returns immediately to Redwall to report what they have seen. At the mention of Cluny the Scourge, everybody takes the whole incident as a joke, and laughs heartily at Sister Clemence's remark, "Perhaps Cluny is coming to get us for staying up late."

Once the Abbey's residents do become aware of Cluny's approach, they all puzzle on what to do: The most common conclusion is to abandon the Abbey, and find a new dwelling. But Matthias has other ideas. With the help of some others, he convinces those in the Abbey to make preparations to ward off the horde.

Meanwhile, Matthias tries to decode the many ancient inscriptions on walls, behind paintings, and other places throughout the Abbey. These inscriptions are believed to be written by Martin the Warrior himself. Every inscription is written in the form of a puzzle, and when the puzzle is solved, Matthias discovers that he must climb the heights of the Abbey tower, and find the sword of Martin the Warrior there. Unfortunately, a group of violent, and very dangerous sparrows known as the "Sparra" live up there always guarding the sword of Martin. And so the battle begins...

His full name is Matthias Methuselah Mortimer.

This story opens with an extract from the diary of John Churchmouse, historian and recorder of Redwall Abbey, giving a descriptive opinion of the weather, the daily happenings, and a little about the past. Abbot Mordalfus, formerly Brother Alf in Redwall, has named the season "Summer of the Golden Plain". Yet another feast is to be held, and all inhabitants of Redwall Abbey are busy helping to gather nuts, berries, catch fish, and prepare the food for the feast which will soon take place.

Matthias, father of Mattimeo is now guardian of Redwall Abbey. Some of the Abbey dibbuns run hurriedly to Cornflower, Matthias' wife, to let her know that Mattimeo is in a fight with another dibbun named Vitch, a rat-like mouse who has mysteriously appeared at Redwall Abbey. Cornflower rushes to separate the two mice, and scolds them angrily. Cornflower, too kindhearted to punish Mattimeo, sends him to his father to be punished.



Mattimeo is sent to complete twice the work that Vitch has been assigned, and then to go to the fields to pick flowers for the feast. After finishing all the kitchen work, Mattimeo heads out to the fields. While gathering daisies with Cornflower, Tim, and Tess, Vitch begins grimacing at them, and teasing them. Having put up with enough nonsense, Tess picks up a pliant rose stem, and runs toward Vitch, crying,
"Look out, Vitch, there's a great big wasp on your tail. Stay still, I'll get it!"
Tess whacks away at Vitch's bottom, and afterward, continues her work, grining from ear to ear.

On the night of the feast, a group of rats, foxes, and other strangers show up at the front door of Redwall Abbey and claim to be Magicians. They are let into the Abbey, and are welcomed to the feast. The fox that leads the group is much larger than the others and wears a checkered mask over his face. He starts to perform simple magic tricks. A few hours later, all have dozed off, and the fox makes his move...

It is now morning, a very damp and hazy morning. Everybody awakens groggily, and begins their chores for the day. However, it is soon discovered that all the young ones including Mattimeo are nowhere to be found! Matthias begins to search Mossflower wood, but it begins to rain, and no tracks can be found.

Slagar the Cruel laughs hysterically at his triumph over Redwall Abbey. He is lucky Matthias did not recognize him in his disguise -- he is none other than Chickenhound.

The Pearls of Lutra begins just outside Redwall Abbey, where a young hogmaid named Tansy has been sent to gather herbs for Sister Cicely, with her young friend, Arven, keeping her company. A couple of hours after Tansy leaves the Abbey, the weather takes a turn for the worse, and it begins to rain. The two friends take shelter in a nearby cave, and Tansy soon finds herself looking for Arven, after the young squirrel runs off.
"Tanzeeeeee!" the dibbun's cries of despair are repeated, over and over, until Tansy finds Arven... standing next to a ferret's skeleton.

Meanwhile, on Sampetra Isle, Emperor Ublaz reigns, holding the title of Mad Eyes, because of his hypnotic stare. Mad Eyes commands hundreds of tropical lizards, and trident rats. Yet Ublaz yearns for one thing more -- The Pearls of Lutra! He has already murdered the otter tribe, Holt Lutra, to gain them. Yet the rat he sent to fetch the pearls has not returned.

His one great mistake was taking Grath Longfletch, daughter of the tribe leader, for dead. For she is not dead. Grath Longfletch will be known for season's to come, killing searats like a madbeast, with her reknowned green-flighted arrows. Having stolen a longboat from a small group of searats, she begins her quest to the Southern region of Mossflower, in pursuit of the searats who killed her family.

Martin the Second, son of Mattimeo, has left Redwall Abbey to inspect the skeleton. With the corpse, was found a spoon which had belonged to Fermald the Ancient, an elderly Redwaller who had passed away several seasons before. But not long after Martin and his companions return to the Abbey with the spoon, Ublaz's army turns up at the gate, where he has tracked the Pearls....and here, the real adventure begins.

Enslaved by the evil ferret King Agarnu of Riftgard, and his cruel daughter, Kurda, the brave squirrelmaid Triss plans a daring escape by sea.

At the same time, far away in Salamandastron, three young companions sail away from their mountain home too, but for a very different reason - they are seeking adventure.

Meanwhile, in Mossflower Woods, a pair of wandering Dibbuns accidentally discover the long-lost entrance to Brockhall, the most legendary home of the Badger Lords.

The three groups of travelers are drawn together by fate, when Triss comes to Redwall, and the inhabitants of the abbey find that they have a new champion - someone brave enough to carry the sword of Martin the Warrior and face the evil that threatens them all.

In this, the fifteenth novel in the Redwall epic, Brian Jacques once again looks to the history of the sword of Martin the Warrior for his adventure, and introduces a new and unforgettable heroine.

Lonna makes shooting stars with his bow and arrows.

Loamhedge, the deserted Abbey, forgotten for countless seasons. What secrets do its ruins hold?

Martha Braebuck, a young hare-maid, wheelchair-bound since infancy, wonders about a mysterious old poem relating to the ancient Abbey. Could it really be the key to her cure? But how could she get to this Loamhedge? As fate has it, two old warriors, travelers returning to Redwall Abbey, are inspired by the spirit of Martin the Warrior to quest for the ancient place - and three young rebels are determined to go with them.

In another part of Mossflower Country, the giant badger Lonna Bowstripe thirsts for vengeance as he relentlessly hunts down the Searat Raga Bol and his murderous crew. He pursues them unto the very gates of Redwall - and finds valiant Abbeybeasts defending their home against the conniving band of marauding vermin!

Riddles, feasting, songs and battle intertwine with the forces of good and evil in this epic saga. Join the heroes in their far-flung mission. Stand on the ramparts with the Abbot and his friends. Face the Foebeast at the Abbey or Redwall. Take the high road to adventure in the search for the hidden secret of Loamhedge! Eulaliiiiiaaaaaaa!

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